The Need For A Global Perspective On Heart Valve Disease Epidemiology:
“Given the increase in the burden of heart valve disease that is expected in the following decades, and the growing inequality when it comes to access to health care, it is time for a global initiative to improve insight into heart valve disease epidemiology”
The working group on heart valve disease epidemiology is aimed at both clinical epidemiology and population epidemiology, primary and secondary prevention, and studying determinants of therapy selection and outcome in patients with heart valve disease.
The main goals of the working group are (1) to improve insight into the occurrence of heart valve disease worldwide and determinants of outcome, (2) connect professionals involved in the subject and (3) put this important health burden on the agenda of health care policy makers.
These 3 goals will be achieved by:
1. Facilitating easy access information (through the SHVD website) on heart valve epidemiology for example guidelines for conducting epidemiological studies in the field of heart valve disease, guidelines for data management, guidelines for reporting morbidity and mortality after cardiac valvular operations (STS/AATS/EACTS), and guidelines for the treatment of heart valve disease (AHA/ACC and ESC).
2. Creating a dynamic network of researchers in the field of heart valve disease epidemiology that will address specific epidemiologic topics that deserve special attention. The first projects will focus on rheumatic heart disease, global assessment of the access to health care for heart valve disease, and studies on characteristics, treatment and outcome of patients with aortic stenosis, patients with mitral regurgitation, and patients who undergo aortic valve replacement worldwide.
3. Communicating the results of the working group efforts to the relevant health care authorities through presentations, reports and publications. In order to optimally reach health care authorities, we will link with heart valve diseases initiatives of other organizations, in particular those aimed to reduce inequalities related to access to health care, and those aimed at optimizing strategies to reduce the burden of rheumatic heart disease.
We invite colleagues who are involved in heart valve disease research and who are interested and committed, to join the working group, help to address the above-mentioned topics and propose new topics and projects that will further improve insight into heart valve disease epidemiology.
Founding members of the working group are:
Jonathan R. Carapetis,
Arkalgud S Kumar,
Nalini M. Rajamannan,
Raphael Rosenhek,
Johanna J.M. Takkenberg,
Magdi H. Yacoub.,
For more information: j.j.m.takkenberg@erasmusmc.nl
October 2007